Admission to Deutsche Journalistenschule is highly selective. We are looking for applicants who bring courage, talent, knowledge and passion to the study of journalism.
Each year, we admit 45 students through a multi-stage application process. It requires you to demonstrate your ability to do original research, tell a good story, make a convincing argument and keep up to date on current events.
As you embark on this process, you will first have to decide which of our two program tracks you are applying for: our master course or our compact course. The master course has a Bachelor’s degree as a prerequisite. The compact course is our traditional training program, which requires a completed vocational training or the German high school exam (Abitur).
The selection process is the same for both program tracks and is divided into four phases.
Log on to the online platform to retrieve your application documents. Only those who are registered will receive the tasks for Phase Two in December.
In winter, all registered applicants receive a choice of four topics. You will have to report and write a story on one of them; the choice is yours. You will also have to submit detailed source notes, as well as a narrative about your life so far. All three documents must be uploaded to the online platform by mid-January. Each entry is read and evaluated by three judges, all of them professional journalists.
150 applicants make it into the final round and will take a two-day entrance examination at the DJS in Munich in spring. Here, we test your knowledge of current events in politics, society, culture, economy, science and sports. You will write another story. And you will face a panel of eight judges who will assess your motivation and aptitude for journalism. Those who have applied for the master course will take an additional test at the university.
You will receive your admission or rejection letter about two weeks later by post.
More questions? Take a look at our How-to-Apply FAQs (German only).
